Marco Silva faces his former club for the first time after a less than amicable end to their relationship. The Portuguese manager pushed for a move to Goodison Park last November but Watford refused to let him go. Results declined noticeably after this point and two months later he found himself handed the sack.

Silva’s successor, Javi Gracia, is a man without a win in five matches and he’ll be looking to put an end to the slump this Monday. His men began the season brightly but this rough patch of form has seen them slide into the bottom half. This drop in form after a strong start is becoming a very bad habit for the Hornets. Despite this, they lie within three points of Everton, a side who have received their fair share of plaudits this season and are currently up in sixth.

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Everton News: Silva wants Gomes stay

Barcelona loanee Andre Gomes has taken little time to woo over the crowd at Goodison Park. His manager seems just as enamoured, recently saying that it’s “impossible to be more happy” with the midfielder. His close control, strength and vision are simply superb and he gives Everton a lot of control in the middle of the pitch. A series of impressive displays in Everton colours has gotten the Merseysiders very keen on a securing a permanent deal for the 25-year-old. It’s not yet clear if his parent club would be willing to let him leave but Silva has stated that he will do everything in his powers to make it a possibility.

New Signings Starting to Shine

The Toffees made a number of new signings in the summer but some, including Gomes and Yerry Mina, were injured. Integrating lots of new players often takes time and the injuries extended this process but Everton are now beginning to see the benefits of the transfers they completed.

They were denied a draw at Anfield by a goalkeeping error from Jordan Pickford and only drew with Newcastle thanks to wasteful finishing. However, they had almost 80% of the ball against the Magpies, their highest possession stats in almost 15 years, and this is a real sign that the new players are settling in and also adapting to Silva’s methods.

Watford News: Hornets continue to fight Capoue suspension

In the final stages of the defeat to Leicester, Etienne Capoue was shown a straight red for his challenge on Kelechi Iheanacho. Manager Gracia immediately announced his intention to appeal the decision with the help of the Foxes striker who was happy to admit that no contact was made during the tackle.

Many believed that a red was the wrong decision but the FA stuck by Graham Scott’s call stating the Watford man endangered the safety of his opponent. Frustrated by the outcome, Watford have decided to seek an arbitration ruling in one final attempt to have the suspension scrapped.

Janmaat returns to the fray

Fullback Daryl Janmaat started in each of Watford’s six opening league games this season but a knee injury sustained against Manchester United has ruled him out since. Initially thought to be out for six weeks, it’s now been well over two months since we saw the Dutchman last in action. After a trouble free appearance with the Under 23s late last month, a comeback is now finally on the cards. If fully fit, expect him to retake his place in the starting line-up this Monday.

Quina given first taste of league action

Domingos Quina wasn’t handed the easiest of Premier League debuts when coming on as a 52nd minute substitute against Manchester City on Tuesday. Despite the strength of the opposition, the 19-year-old looked full of confidence as he took to the Vicarage Road turf for the first time. Speaking after the 2-1 defeat, the youngster said he was delighted to have made his debut and he’ll keep pushing for more opportunities. Having impressed on his debut, it could well be that he enjoys another taste of league action at Goodison Park.

Analysis: Watford in need of a good result

One point from the last available 15 makes for poor reading for Watford. The Hornets have faced a couple of tough matches in this time but Gracia will still have expected a better return from these contests.

They still remain within touching distance of the top six in spite of this but the gap will broaden substantially should they fall to a defeat here. It’s an outcome that may be hard to avoid too given that Everton have generally looked strong at home this season.

Goodison keeps Toffees sweet

The blue half of Merseyside have collected 23 points this season, 17 of them coming at home. It’s worth noting that Everton have faced far tougher fixtures on the road than at home but even so, Silva has not got his side travelling too well. In contrast, on home soil, especially facing weaker opponents, they make for a testing foe. Newcastle are the only visiting side among the last five who have left Goodison Park without experiencing the taste of defeat.

As said, the Magpies were rather fortunate to have secured a draw too with Everton hammering on the door for much of the match, registering 19 shots on goal. Given how out of form Watford are and how goals have rather dried up for them of late, a home win (3/4) is the obvious selection for this match as the Toffees continue to make hay at home against the sides below them in the table.

Hosts needing a little more quality upfront

Everton look like having what it takes to win this game but you shouldn’t back them to do it emphatically. They’ve scored 21 times from 15 league matches so far, a record you’d have to describe as mediocre at best. Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison have been chipping in with their fair share but none of the Toffees’ out and out strikers have been doing enough. Both Cenk Tosun and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have just the two goals from 12 league appearances. Watford’s defence isn’t too vulnerable, especially with Janmaat returning so backing a slender one goal home win (13/5) makes for a tempting pick.

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Marco Silva is not the only man who made a switch from Watford to Everton earlier this year. Brazilian forward Richarlison, who scored against Everton last season, is all set to face his former club. There shouldn’t be too much in the way of hard feelings however as the Hornets were very well compensated upon his departure, although that might be giving some football fans more credit than they deserve!

24th February 2018: Watford 1 – 0 Everton

Watford moved three points clear of the drop zone with a dreary win at Vicarage Road. Despite claiming victory, even Gracia admitted this was a dire match and he commended the home fans for being able to keep their spirits up. Troy Deeney was the man responsible for the only goal of the contest, a powerful strike that flew into the roof of the net. Despite it being his 19th league appearance of the season, it was his first time netting from open play.

5th November 2017: Everton 3 – 2 Watford

An astonishing second half of football ended up with David Unsworth celebrating his first victory in charge of the club. The score was goalless at the break but Watford found soon themselves two up thanks to Richarlison and Christian Kabasele. Everton responded magnificently, pulling level just 10 minutes later and completed the comeback when Leighton Baines converted from the spot. More drama was to come when the Hornets were handed a penalty of their own in the 101st minute but former Everton man Tom Cleverly scuffed his effort wide.

12th May 2017: Everton 1 – 0 Watford

Speculation regarding the future of Ross Barkley didn’t stop him scoring the winner in this match. The midfielder had yet to reach a new deal with his club but manager Ronald Koeman was happy to heap praise on him in his post-match comments. The three points secured during this final home game of the season put the Toffees’ total at Goodison Park up to 43, their highest in a top-flight campaign since 1989-90.

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